SXSW 2013 Film Reviews: 'Linsanity'

Daily reviews and interviews

Linsanity

Festival FavoritesD: Evan Leong; with Jeremy Lin

The most surprising aspect of this instant classic sports biopic is its chronology. The filmmakers spend nearly an hour getting to their remarkable third-act climax, Jeremy Lin's highlight reel with the New York Knicks. Indeed, director Leong and producer Chris Chen first became interested in the Asian-American hoopster when he was a senior star at Harvard, camera-shy and unsure of his basketball future. Had he not passed through a point guard's progress of doubt and near-despair en route to his breakout month with the Knicks, not only would his faith not be rewarded, the filmmakers would have had a very different, unnamed documentary. This one looks destined for ESPN, and Lin for a solid NBA career. As his Rockets coach Kevin McHale told the Houston Chronicle: "It's a lot easier to go out and play this game when the expectation level for you is realistic, not Linsanity."